I'm tired of the bad rap JPII has been getting when it comes to the subject
of women in the Church.

In the wake of his death, I saw very few mainstream media stories about
him that didn't mention something about his "refusal" to ordain women, or
his "mixed legacy" regarding women's role in the Church, or some other comment
implying that he was less that supportive of women and their role in the
Church.

The most disingenuous piece I saw was written by a well-known writer and
nominal Catholic (who will remain unnamed for the moment). He wrote
about how John Paul II, in his writings, "limited" the role of women to
either virgin or mother, and that women's destiny was controlled by their
biology. He said that, in the worldview of the Holy Father, women
were to remain "barefoot and pregnant," having no real role in public life.

Poppycock.

I call this particular writer "disingenuous" because no one who had actually
read John Paul II's writings on women in any depth could possibly make such
an absurd argument.

JPII did write at great length about the differences between men and women.
He also wrote about how a woman's biology tells us a great deal about her
soul and her psyche. But John Paul II was no "barefoot and pregnant" guy.
He was, in fact, a champion of women's rights.

In his Theology of the Body, the Holy Father wrote extensively about
our creation. He said that, in studying the way God created us, we
learn about ourselves, about Him, and about our relationship with Him.
And our maleness and femaleness is an integral part of that creation.
Male and female, he said, are different ways of being human. We are,
of course, absolutely equal in dignity before God. But we're, well,
different. Our bodies are different. Our brain structures are
different. Our hormonal systems are different. And those differences
tell us a lot about ourselves.

He didn't spend a whole lot of time writing about that which is uniquely
male. Honestly, I wish he had. But he did write extensively
about that which is uniquely feminine. He said that "[W]oman
has a genius all her own, which is vitally essential to both society and
the Church [She] is endowed with a particular capacity for accepting
the human being in his concrete form." (Angelus Reflection, July 23, 1995)

Quite simply, he said that women's biology is oriented to the creation and
the nurturing of new human life. It's tough to argue with that.
Most of us are reminded of that fact every month. He also said that
our emotional gifts are oriented in that direction too. We're more
relationship oriented. We're more intuitive. We're more easily
able to "read" another's emotions. As he put it, "woman is endowed
with a particular capacity for accepting the human being in his concrete
form." Not to stereotype, of course. Some men are naturally
intuitive, or sensitive to emotional cues. But these are the exception,
not the rule. Look at our magazines. Women's magazines are largely
about relationships  how to understand each other better, how to look
good to attract men, etc. Men's magazines are about activities 
boating, golf, cars. (Or they're about sex  but as "activity,"
not "relationship.) In fact, recent evidence shows us that structural
differences between the male and female brain may go a long way toward explaining
some of these differences.

So women tend to be more inwardly oriented, while men are often more outwardly
oriented. Women's gifts are, in many ways, about motherhood.
And John Paul II wrote at length about the importance of motherhood.
Apparently some people stop there and assume he meant that all women are
"good for" is bearing babies.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

In Mulieris Dignitatem, he wrote:
When women are able fully to share their gifts with the whole community,
the very way in which society understands and organizes itself is improved,
and comes to reflect in a better way the substantial unity of the human
family. Here we see the most important condition for the consolidation of
authentic peace. The growing presence of women in social, economic and political
life at the local, national and international levels is thus a very positive
development.

Yes, the family needs women's gifts. But so does society. So
does the Church. So does every aspect of human existence.

Not all women will be physical mothers. But all women bring those uniquely
feminine gifts to whatever we do. When we serve in public life, when
we work in the business world, we do so as women, "endowed with a particular
capacity for accepting the human person in his concrete form."

Mary
Beth Bonacci is internationally known for her talks and writings
about love, chastity, and sexuality. Since 1986 she has spoken to tens of
thousands of young people, including 75,000 people in 1993 at World Youth
Day in Denver, Colorado. She appears frequently on radio and television
programs, including several appearances on MTV.

Mary Beth holds a bachelor's degree in Organizational Communication from
the University of San Francisco, and a master's degree in Theology of Marriage
and Family from the John Paul II Institute at Lateran University. She was
also awarded an honorary doctorate in Communications from the Franciscan
University of Steubenville, and is listed in Outstanding Young Women
of America for 1997.

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